He unapologetically Tuesday instructed his readers to count him among the unsurprised when the Fighting Illini (3-2 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play) invaded hostile Beaver Stadium and routed Penn State 33-13, the first time Illinois ever won in unusually unHappy Valley, and only the second in which the Illini honestly competed with the Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-2), who suddenly find themselves at a season's crossroads.

"Illinois' 33-13 victory Saturday...wasn't a surprise to me or to those who follow my Illini coverage," Gould wrote.

"One big reason I thought the Illini could win for the first time in seven trips to Happy Valley was the maturity and all-around play of redshirt freshman quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, who was rewarded Monday with his second Big Ten freshman of the week honor. Scheelhaase completed 15 of 19 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown and ran for 61 yards on eight carries...."

And almost personally hauled coach Ron Zook, often under fire from Illinois' demanding fans, away from cliff's edge.

Suddenly, Illinois, with competitive losses to No. 1 Ohio State and a respected Missouri squad,has worked its way into the Big Ten bowl-eligible conversation. No small feat, considering the preseason predictions.

Scheelhaase, like "Juice" Williams, another athletic, talented quarterback before him, makes the Illini more than just competitive. Against Ohio State's merciless, pounding defense, he kept the Illini close until the final minutes.

"It's a dramatic change," a combination relieved/ecstatic Zook told the Chicago Tribune's Shannon Ryan Saturday. "But it's something we expected. In 2009, Ryan pointed out, the Illini didn't win its first conference game until they'd played their sixth Big 10 game.

"We didn't want to go 0-2 in the Big Ten this early in the season," Zook emphasized.

The Illini even stole the show at a position usually ceded by virtually every team to the Lions -- linebacker. Both Nate Bussey and Martez Wilson gummed up the line of scrimmage to such a point that the Lions managed only 65 yards in 26 tries -- 35 in 11 carries by megatalented Evan Royster, and Bussey intercepted Penn State freshman quarterback Rob Bolden, turning it into a 16-yard touchdown that put the Illini up 14-3.

Penn State stayed close for a half, but Scheelhaase and the Illinois defense helped dominate the second half to such a point that by game's end, the Lions found themselves on the short end of a 38:12-21:48 time of possession, a telltale stat if ever there was one.

Even when usually-reliable punt/kickoff-return specialist Jack Ramsey fumbled twice deep in Illinois territory, the Illini defense came to the rescue.

"The first one made me second-guess," Ramsey told Ryan. "The defense backed me up."

Scheelhaase did most of the rest. His 18-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Jenkins erased the Illini's only deficit midway in the first quarter and bit-by-bit, his confidence grew, particularly given the fact Penn State's defense was injury-riddled.

"Coach Zook talked about it all week, about us blowing the roof off," Scheelhaase said. "You can kind of feel that vibe..." And players have long-since tuned out Zook's job security talk. "It's not a big jump (to competitiveness)," Scheelhaase added. "We weren't worried about Coach's job or any outside noise.

"We worried about each week and winning ball games. It will feel good to go back to class on Monday."

For the first time in a while, it feels good to be associated with the University of Illinois football program.